Monday, 28 January 2013

The origins of Valentine's Day are shrouded in mystery,however, we do know that the month of February haslong been celebrated as a time of romance.There are many stories surrounding St.Valentine andlegend contends that he was a priest who served duringthe 3rd century in Rome and when Emperor Claudius IIoutlawed marriage for young men - (as he felt that allyoung single men would make better soldiers thanhusbands!) - Valentine, realising the injustice of thedecree, continued to perform secret marriage ceremoniesfor young, courting lovers. When his actions werediscovered, Claudius ordered that Valentine besentenced to death ... and hence, he became a martyrand pronounced a Saint, in the name of LOVE!Whatever, story or myth you might read, it is an in-disputed fact that the 14th of February has sincebecome the second most popular card sending day,after Christmas!

So without further ado! The WireWorkers Guild and some
of its most generous followers and talented wire artists
would like to share with you some HEART felt inspiration!
Below is our stunning: ***GALLERY of HEARTS***PLUS+ we have a 'special gift'a WOVEN HEART TUTORIAL byRACHEL MURGATROYD!(So ... are you sitting comfortably? Then, please ENJOY!Starting in alphabetical order ...)

1. Gorgeous Red Heart Pendant, designed and created
by ALISON BICKELL from TREASURED FOREVER.

2. A wonderful Valentine set, including: Necklace, Bracelet
and Earrings by AMBER HEFNER of THE WILD TANGENT.
Which won her 1st prize for a 'Bead My Heart' competition
for Happy Mango Beads.

9. This delicately dainty "Bleeding Heart' pendant contribution
is from LOUISE GOODCHILD, inspired by her Dicentra plant.
(Look out for her, as she will be a feature artist later on this year.
Can't wait ... !)

19. And look what's just flown in, all the way from Manilla!Some cute and colourful Love Bugs with heart shapedwings designed and created by the very talented, ANGELA MARIELA SISON ofCAMPBEADS WIRE - WORKSHOP!

20. Finally, CLAIRE BARTRAM of FOLBAR BEADS
sent in her stunning design, inspired by a Valentine
magazine project I did for Beads & Beyond!

Friday, 11 January 2013

for high quality artists materials of
all kinds, let me be the first to introduce
you to this brand. Since 1930 their
art materials have been available for
both professional and amateur artists
in Oil, Acrylic, Watercolours and
Pastels as well as a range of Casting,
Modelling, Silk and Glass painting,
etc..., etc..., etc..., but it's their
FANTASY Moon and Prism
colours and Jewellery Accessories ...
that you'll be the most interested in!

I had already seen some beautiful samples of
demonstration pieces atLONDON JEWELLERY SUPPLIES showroom
in Hampton, Middlesex, (where they sell all the
supplies) therefore, when I was asked to product test
some paints, I couldn't wait to get started!

What I really wanted to find out, is would it work
well with some wireworking techniques? And my
initial results are positive ... well, I hope YOU
also agree with me????

Working withFantasyand Moon Paints, you just
need to purchase some Jewellery Accessories: such
as Pendants, Bracelets, Earrings and Ring blanks,
plus some plastic droppers and a packet ofGlazing Resin and you're ready for action!

The instant satisfaction is in the fact, that all you
have to do, is stir up the paint colours, drop it into
the recess of the jewellery blanks and then wait for
the magic to take place!

Well, I have found that you could create some very
original jewellery pieces using your own wire motifs
within the resin.

Here's my first experiment, using a base of Pebeo black,
red and silver Fantasy paints on the Oval Bracelet, with
my own wire squiggles and motifs (created out of 0.8mm
silver-plated wire and Whammered!) placed onto the
dried paint. This was then sealed and coated with
Pebeo Glazing Resin.

Going one step further ... to add a little more
originality to the piece, I decided to remove
the existing clasp and add one of my own.

And ... two steps on, I decided that beaded charms
would complete and make it a unique one-of-a-kind
bracelet!

I also created a matching necklace using Pebeo's
Oval Pendant blank.

Then, I had another go at using a purple, silver and
green combination of colours with some wavy wire
inclusions ...

... and I decided to remove the bracelet clasp and turn
it into a necklace, using wireworking techniques and
some matching beads!

If you don't want Ovals, try the square bracelet
blanks instead. They are very contemporary and
in vogue!

Here's my Turquoise
version using the
Fantasy Prisme
Paint, topped with
my wire spirals
and coated in
the Glazing Resin.

However, to make
it just a little bit
more original
I opted to attach
6mm silver
beads in between
the squares!

Not only that, I changed the clasp
to a chunky Toggle!

Here's another attempt, using a different
colour palette:

... and once again
I changed the clasp
to add a little more
originality!
After all, that's what
jewellery should
be all about!